


Warriors: The New Prophecy Rises

by skys



Category: Warrior Cats - Fandom
Genre: Clans, Gen, Warrior Cats
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-31
Updated: 2014-08-31
Packaged: 2018-02-15 14:29:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2232435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skys/pseuds/skys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>ThunderClan, RiverClan, ShadowClan, and WindClan have always lived in peace knowing that they and StarClan rule their worlds alone. But now there are five new clans, and StarClan is threatened by these new arrivals. Meanwhile, four cats from each new clan are chosen to represent their world and save it from becoming nothing more but a blip in history.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. New Kits and Old Rivalries

**Author's Note:**

> This is a gift for a friend. Many of the characters belong to her, not me. Also, each chapter will switch POV's (point of views) from clan to clan in this order: EagleClan, RavenClan, RobinClan, and HawkClan. Thank you!

“Cedarpaw, wait up!” Windpaw yelled, paws itching as he bounded after his friend. The young apprentice’s eager mind distracted him easily as he twisted passed a few cats in the clearing of EagleClan’s camp. His yellowish eyes flicked over the familiar faces warmly as he ran past. He recognized his mother, Littlefoot, padding out of the warrior’s den beside his father, Sparktalon. They watched, amused, as he finally stopped in front of the nursery beside Cedarpaw, whiskers twitching in excitement.  
A wave of scents washed over him - he could pick out a couple of herbs of some kind, and the smell of something fresh. He purred deeply as he sat near his fellow apprentice, Cedarpaw, whose nose was perked through into the den.  
Before Windpaw could say anything to exclaim his excitement, he sensed a cloud of respect flow through the cats around him. Windpaw pricked his ears and turned his head quickly, and wasn’t too surprised to see EagleClan’s leader, Redmoon, padding towards him with bright eyes.  
“Come to see EagleClan’s newest warriors, hey?” the powerful warrior mused, sitting beside him. Windpaw felt a wave of embarrassment and self-consciousness flow over him. Redmoon was sitting beside him! Him, of all cats! He could have sat beside Wolfstripe - the lucky new father, and his deputy, or even Whitenose, an elder of EagleClan and an old friend of his. But no! The brave, loyal leader was beside him!  
“Yeah...” Windpaw said nervously, ears twitching, “I-I wanted to see who I’d be sharing a den with in a couple of moons.” he stuttered. Redmoon’s tail flicked in silent amusement as Wolfstripe came to take a seat on his other side.  
“Redmoon - I’m glad you made it on time back from the patrol!” the respectable cat mewed eagerly, “It’s amazing, isn’t it? Kits! And... my kits, too! Ugh, I can barely stay still... I just...” Wolfstripe’s claws dug into the soft, forest ground beneath him as he kneaded the grassy floor. Redmoon chuckled.  
“Be patient. I trust both Goldencloud and her new apprentice, Cherrypaw, will deliver your new kin just fine.” the leader’s eyes glittered with daring warmth. But soft yowl of pain made that warmth fade. Redmoon glanced half-heartedly towards the nursery, where Windpaw could barely hear scrambling and meows of ‘almost there’ and ‘push harder’ were echoed from.  
“Cloudface! Oh...” Wolfstripe stood up, eyes shining with concern. Windpaw felt horrible for the poor tom - having to just sit out here while his mate delivered his kits. Windpaw tried to imagine what it’d be like for him if he ever fell in love with a cat and had to bear through her pain. He couldn’t.  
A few voices muttered within the nursery for a moment, before a soft scent wafted towards them. Cherrypaw, the medicine cat Goldencloud’s apprentice, padded out from the den, eyes wild with excitement.  
“She’s done it!” he announced. Wolfstripe immediately pushed past the smaller cat, his scent washing over with relief. Meows of ‘congratulations’ and ‘good job’ echoed through the clearing as cats began to crowd around Cherrypaw, asking all sorts of questions that ranged from ‘what are their names’ to ‘what color are they’.  
“Just give Cloudface and Wolfstripe a moment.” Cherrypaw recited, whiskers twitching from the recent excitement, “After that, each of you can visit the kits one by one. Please don’t rush them or anything, alright?” Cherrypaw meowed. Windpaw nodded respectfully as the reddish, orange cat padded away from the crowd and back towards the medicine cat’s den. A few moments later, a sweet, honey-filled scent glided out from the nursery. Goldencloud was close behind her apprentice as she padded past the questioning cats. Her face was molded into what seemed like a permanent smile, and Windpaw could scent the adoration that glided off of her. She soon disappeared under one of the rocks in the clearing behind Cherrypaw, and then she was gone.  
“What do you think they’re called?” Cedarpaw asked excitedly from beside Windpaw. The apprentice’s attention was scratched away from the two medicine cats and back to his friend, who was now in a similar state his mentor had been in a few moments ago. His claws kneaded the ground eagerly as he looked at Windpaw through wide eyes.  
“Don’t get the notion that Wolfstripe’ll name a kit after you, Cedarpaw.” Windpaw joked. The brownish tabby frowned and rolled his eyes in response, tail twitching.  
“You know that’s not what I meant! I’m only Wolfstripe’s apprentice - he’d never go as far as to name his first kit after me!”   
“Whatever - I know you secretly wanted one of them to be Cedarkit!” Windpaw accused. Cedarpaw growled playfully and landed a seethed paw over his friend’s shoulder, who batted it off in response.  
“Did not!” Cedarpaw beckoned, standing up and flicking his tail as Windpaw copied his actions. The tan apprentice watched as his friend slowly circled him, eyes wild with the challenge.  
“Did to!” Windpaw replied, scoffing as Cedarpaw landed a soft blow to his neck, “Is that all you got?”  
“Definitely not!”   
Suddenly his friend was all over him - his weight being his greatest weapon as he practically crushed Windpaw like a bug. But the apprentice was swift, and landed another seethed blow to his friend’s stomach, who keeled back. The deputy’s apprentice shook his head quietly as Windpaw stood back up onto his four legs, not even letting his opponent recover. Windpaw was now the one smothering his friend - his paws batted over Cedarpaw eagerly until the larger cat was mewing like a kit.  
“Gerrofme!” Cedarpaw growled through clenched teeth. Windpaw laughed and threw himself off of his playmate, who quickly began licking his chest fur down. Windpaw looked around, noticing that Redmoon had disappeared somewhere. He glanced back over to Cedarpaw, who was harbouring a long frown of annoyance.  
“You’re too slow!” Windpaw commented, “A RavenClan warrior would have you hanging from their jaws in seconds if that’s how you fight!”   
“Oh yeah?” Cedarpaw mewed, whiskers twitching, “Well, the way you didn’t even defend yourself when I had you in my paws was pathetic! You fight like a RobinClan warrior!”  
Windpaw laughed at the last two words, “RobinClan? Please, spare me from those powerful fur balls of fury. Those cats couldn’t defend themselves from a swarm of butterflies!” he joked, coming back to sit beside Cedarpaw. The deputy’s apprentice chuckled appreciatively.   
Before Windpaw’s friend could respond, he was interrupted by a voice behind him. The young, tanned apprentice turned his head once again to see his own mentor, Darkthorn, coming to join the small party of cats.  
“I see I’ve taught you well, Windpaw.” Darkthorn commented, blackish-brown pelt shining in the sunlight, “Those moves you used were smart, and I was happy to see you easily out maneuvered Cedarpaw.”  
Windpaw felt a deep pride swell within his chest, and his tail fluffed up eagerly. But before he could say anything to his mentor, he noticed Cedarpaw’s crestfallen look beside him. Windpaw looked over to Darkthorn quietly.  
“What about Cedarpaw? You saw him fight too... how do you think he did?”   
Darkthorn’s warm, clouded gaze quickly turned cold and icy. For a moment, Windpaw didn’t know what was going on, but he quickly understood when the senior warrior spoke next.  
“That is for his mentor to say.” the dark cat said through gritted teeth, “But... let’s just say that my standards of excellence are far different from his.”  
It was a known fact in EagleClan that Darkthorn had never liked Wolfstripe much. The warrior had gotten a grudge against him from some accident that happened many moons ago when they were both apprentices, and when Wolfstripe was appointed deputy over him..? Well, the grudge only grew. They were both assigned apprentices together, though, which some cats would argue to be a foolish decision made by Redmoon, but Windpaw couldn’t help but imagine that the leader definitely had a plan for himself and Cedarpaw. He just couldn’t be sure what the plan was.  
A hiss erupted from the nursery, and Darkthorn barely had time to turn his head before Wolfstripe was there, eyes blazing.  
I think it’s safe to say that Wolfstripe didn’t really appreciate Darkthorn much, either.  
“Darkthorn,” he said gruffly, “Have you come to see my new kits?”  
Darkthorn’s ears twitched, and a smirk broke out onto his muzzle. Windpaw glanced from his mentor to his deputy, unsure of what to say.  
“Why yes, Wolfstripe.” Darkthorn spoke in a sickly sweet tone, “Perhaps I can be the first one to see them? With your permission, of course.”  
Wolfstripe’s nose twitched, but his smile remained.  
“Of course. And feel free to take your apprentice in, as well.” Wolfstripe glanced down at Windpaw, who smiled weakly. The gray tabby flicked his whiskers before padding away from the nursery towards the Great Tree.   
The Great Tree was a huge, mountain of an oak that fell down moons ago over the rock that used to be where the leader announced things at - but now, the Great Tree acted as both a den for the leader and a replacement place to announce things. The tree was hollow, and it was big enough for Redmoon and perhaps a few other cats to sleep in. Wolfstripe could sit on the rock beneath the tree when Redmoon was speaking to the clan, since he was still lower than the leader, but higher than the other cats.  
“Are you coming, Windpaw?” Darkthorn asked as he padded into the den. Windpaw nodded and flicked his tail for Cedarpaw to join him as he entered the musky smelling nursery.  
Cloudface was lying down, eyes closed. Tucked close beside her belly were two little lumps. Windpaw could hardly believe that they were cats. They had hardly any fur, and their eyes were shut tight as they suckled their mother. Cloudface purred quietly as her new kits enjoyed their first meal.  
“Cedarpaw,” a soft meow came from behind the white queen nursing her kits. Windpaw glanced upwards to see Hazelnose, Cedarpaw’s mother, sitting close beside the young cat, “You missed your brother performing his first kitting! He was spectacular! He did everything Goldencloud asked of him and more.”  
Cedarpaw’s whiskers twitched.  
“I saw Cherrypaw just before he left to go back to the medicine cat’s den. Sorry for not coming sooner, though. I was on the patrol with Redmoon, Onestreak, Amberpaw, and Sparktalon. We saw a RavenClan patrol on the other side of the border!” he announced. Windpaw’s ears twitched in surprise.  
“You didn’t tell me that!” he complained. Cedarpaw shrugged absently, padding over to Cloudface, who tiredly opened her eyes to see the three cats that had just walked in.  
“Cedarpaw, Windpaw -” she started quietly, “Come to see them, then?”  
“Yeah!” Cedarpaw’s green eyes shone with curiosity, “What’re their names?”  
“This one,” Cloudface lifted her head to point with her nose to the much larger of the two kits, which was a light brownish color, “is Heavykit.”  
“Heavykit...” Windpaw repeated, “Welcome to the world, buddy.”  
Cedarpaw purred lightly, dropping down to lick Cloudface’s shoulder, “He’ll make a great warrior, I can already tell.”  
“And this one,” Cloudface prodded the smaller, but more lithe figure quietly, “is Blazekit. She’s a handful already, but there’s no doubt she’ll be a strong cat.”  
“Blazekit and Heavykit - awesome.” Windpaw recited happily. Cloudface blinked, looking over her two kits appreciatively.  
“I’ll be happy to see them in the warrior den someday.” Darkthorn said. His tone was soft and silky, which surprised Windpaw to say the least. Only moments ago he had been spitting vinegar at Wolfstripe, and now he was as smooth as ice with Cloudface and her kits. Windpaw figured it must be the whole ‘don’t be mean around kittens’ thing that got to him, since his eyes were clouded with joy.  
“And I keep telling her, that Blazekit’ll certainly show those pesky RavenClan warriors a thing or two about how to fight! She’s already a warrior in a kit’s skin!” Hazelnose said fondly, flicking her ear.  
“I certainly hope so.” Cloudface whispered quietly, “RavenClan have been getting more and more pushy these days with borders. I can’t help but think they’re trying to hint to Redmoon that they’d like a little share of our forest.”  
“But that’s stupid!” Windpaw objected, shocked by Cloudface’s suggestion, “They live on the other side of the Thunderpath, and they don’t even hunt the things we do! We live in the mountains, Cloudface. There are hardly any rabbits or mice out here. We hunt birds - we could take down a hawk if we wanted to. RavenClan eat tiny little land creatures that can’t lift a paw to defend themselves!”   
Cloudface sighed, “That’s not to say RavenClan couldn’t adjust to our way of life. If Redmoon lets them, there’ll soon be no stopping those ravenous warriors from taking over our entire territory...”  
Cedarpaw’s eyes widened, his green orbs glittering with shock.  
“But Redmoon wouldn’t let that happen, would he?” Cedarpaw objected. Cloudface glanced over to Hazelnose, as if silently pleading for help. The older cat nodded and stepped in.  
“Cedarpaw, Fallingmoon is a very strong leader with the power of a very strong clan behind him. Redmoon doesn’t want to risk any cat’s life over a battle that could easily be won by words. But... if Redmoon can’t convince Fallingmoon...” Hazelnose trailed off, eyes flickering over her paws, “than he could be forced to either run or fight.”  
“Fight!” Cedarpaw said right away. Windpaw paused, glancing at his reddish, brown companion as his neck fur bristled indignantly, “I’ll fight for our territory! I’ll fight until every one of the mangy, flee-bitten RavenClan warriors are running back to their mothers!”  
“Patience, young warrior.” Darkthorn said quietly, eyes glimmering, “We cannot just throw ourselves into battle. Surely Wolfstripe has taught you something about the ways of our world?”  
Cedarpaw’s ears flicked back in surprise, and he looked down at the ground in shame. Windpaw bit his lip back from spitting at his mentor over how stupid of a reason that was to scold his friend, but he was beaten to the chase. Hazelnose rose to her son’s rescue loyally, brown pelt tufted and fluffed.  
“I’m sure that our deputy, Wolfstripe, has taught my son plenty of useful things about the ways of our world.” Hazelnose spat. Darkthorn’s whiskers twitched angrily as he stood up, eyes cold and paws raking the soft nursery floor.  
“Come on, Windpaw.” he said at last, “Let’s go practice some battle moves. We’d best be ready for a fight to the death if any cat listens to that stupid kit-friend of yours.”  
And with that he disappeared. Windpaw glanced sorrowfully at Cedarpaw, who didn’t even look at him. He flicked his ears at Hazelnose, who seemed to get the message and nodded her approval of his leave. Windpaw stood up sadly and began to follow his mentor towards the Training Hollow beside the leader’s den.   
“Bye, Cloudface. Tell me when your kits open their eyes.” he meowed, before bounding towards his dark brown, tabby mentor.


	2. Dying Petals

Sunkit, you’re as slow as a badger!” Summerkit mewed happily, eyes glowing with pride as she easily outran her brother. The young, golden-cream colored kit nearly fell on his face as she stopped, reaching the end of the nursery wall. Summerkit watched in amusement as her littermate picked himself up, shaking the dry grass from his pelt. His icy eyes shone in the light of the sun that escaped into the nursery through the grass piled up over the rocks.  
“I’m not slow - you’re just abnormally fast!” Sunkit refused to accept that he was, indeed, brutally bow-legged. Summerkit laughed brightly and dropped beside her brother in a heap of Greenleaf enjoyment. They loved it - just relaxing all day and all night. Summerkit especially. She adored not have to do all that nasty warrior work her father, Ironclaw, always complained about when he came to visit her mother, Crescentfall. He’d always tell her about the angry patrols and the times he’d lost prey to HawkClan or something. Summerkit sighed, wondering what it’d be like to be a warrior. Though Sunkit was more than ecstatic for his time to receive his name and status, Summerkit couldn’t help but wonder if there was a different path she could possibly take. Something less... in the action. After all, she loved her clan mates dearly, and wasn’t about to drop out of being a warrior simply because she was lazy! She just... wondered. That’s all.   
“Well, to be fair, you’re still better at play fighting than I am.” Summerkit assured her brother, who shrugged the compliment off. But the creamy she-cat could tell he was very happy to be noticed for his play-fighting skills. Very happy indeed.  
“Are you two having fun over there?” Summerkit’s mother, Crescentfall, asked from her mossy bed. Sunkit flicked his ear in response, but Summerkit actually took the time to speak to their parent.  
“Yeah, mom!” she called over to her. Crescentfall’s beautiful, icy blue eyes blinked warmly at her two kits.  
“Perhaps you’d like to go out and see the apprentices? I heard that they’ve just come back from their first patrols - maybe you’d like to ask them about it?” Crescentfall suggested. Summerkit frowned at the idea, imagining that the stories would be much like her father’s complaints, but Sunkit seemed eager to leave the den. He picked himself up off the grassy ground and padded over to Crescentfall, licking her shoulder.  
“Thanks mom!” Sunkit grinned. Summerkit’s mother purred and licked a tuft of fur down from his head kindly.  
“Just stay in the camp at all times, and don’t get separated, okay?” she suggested. Summerkit nodded, not even caring much at this point anyway. But Sunkit’s eyes flashed happily, and he pressed his nose once more to Crescentfall’s before leading the pair of them out into RavenClan camp.  
The place was busy - but not overly. Cats seemed to be sharing tongues and enjoying a nice meal of the fresh kill that a hunting patrol had brought it earlier that day. Summerkit’s eyes glimmered as she followed Sunkit over to the pile of rabbits and mice, where they sat down and looked around.  
For a long time they were silent, but Summerkit knew that her brother couldn’t be quiet for long, “You see any apprentices?” Sunkit asked at last. Summerkit shrugged. Truth be told, she wasn’t even looking. She glanced over to the warrior’s den, and then to the Tall Rock, and then to the -  
Medicine Cat den! Summerkit nudged her brother firmly in the shoulder, nodding towards an apprentice sitting alone. Sunkit’s eyes narrowed as he looked at them. Finally, he shrunk back, sighing.  
“Summerkit, that’s not a warrior apprentice! That’s Skywing’s apprentice, Petalberry! She’s a medicine cat apprentice!” Sunkit exclaimed, turning his head again to look somewhere else. But Summerkit didn’t care. She prodded Sunkit again, this time a bit harder, until he finally turned around.  
“What, Summerkit? Is it another medicine cat apprentice this time?” he asked sarcastically. Summerkit frowned.  
“Fallingmoon should name you Sunbrain - you’ve been getting too much sun!” Summerkit laughed lightly as Sunkit stuck his tongue out indignantly, “Anyway, no. I want to go see Petalberry! She’s way nicer than any warrior I know!”   
Sunkit sighed and shrugged, letting Summerkit stand up and pad over to the brownish she-cat. As Summerkit approached, she caught wind of a delicious, honey-and-herb scent that wafted out of the medicine cat den. Petalberry was sitting just outside the entrance, enjoying some sunlight and sorting certain herbs into little piles. Summerkit approached her lightly, taking a seat just in front of her.  
Petalberry looked up, smiling lightly when she saw the cream-colored she-cat kit in front of her.  
“Hey, Summerkit. Have you come here to help me sort some leaves? Because I need it.” she asked lightly. Sunkit groaned behind her, but Summerkit’s eyes stretched happily.  
“Can I? Wow! The warriors never let me help out when I ask!” Summerkit exclaimed, padding beside Petalberry. The kind, sweet-smelling medicine cat lifted her paw and pointed to a strange, leafy fern in one of the piles.  
“This is burnet. It’s used to keep a cat’s strength up when travelling. We have a lot of it on our territory, but not much use for it. But I do give it to Skywing every time we go to the Gathering Stones, since she’s getting older now and the walk can weaken her bones.” Petalberry explained. Summerkit quietly noted down in her brain - burnet, good for travelling.  
“And this is comfrey root.” Petalberry nodded to a large root pile. Summerkit bent down and sniffed it a bit, before keeling back.  
“Ewe! It smells tangy!” she hissed, “What’s cat would want to eat that?”  
“No cat. You don’t eat it, you chew it up into a paste for a lot of things. It repairs broken bones, soothes wounds, and can be applied to rashes and itchy places. Sometimes we’ll use it on Brindlemeadow if she gets an itch that isn’t from a tick. It’s very useful.” Petalberry explained. Summerkit’s eyes widened, amazing that a little plant could do so much. She glanced down, sniffing it once more.  
“I guess it doesn’t smell that bad.” she offered lightly. Petalberry laughed quietly, eyes glowing.  
“You’d make a good medicine cat, Summerkit.” the reddish, brown she-cat mewed warmly. Summerkit stood still for a moment, shocked. Would she? Would she make a good medicine cat? She wondered briefly if, perhaps, that was her destiny. To heal RavenClan and speak to their warrior ancestors from MoonClan. Would she do it? Could she do it?  
“You think so..?” Summerkit asked quietly, voice low.   
“Oh, yes. You’ve certainly got the attitude for it.” Petalberry commented. Summerkit’s eyes glimmered.  
“Then... can I be one?” she looked up to Petalberry, who froze for a moment in mute shock. She couldn’t tell what the she-cat was thinking, but she knew that she was thinking hard. Summerkit looked down at the plants quietly, eyes softened. She had a gut-feeling that Petalberry would reject her and send her back to the nursery, where Sunkit had retreated moments ago.   
“Burnet -” Summerkit said softly, jerking Petalberry back to reality, “is used for travelling. It keeps a cat’s strength up. Comfrey roots, though, are used for way more things. They help cats with broken bones and can soothe wounds. But you use it for when Brindlemeadow gets an itch that isn’t a tick, since it can soothe itching too, right?”  
“How did you know?” Petalberry asked slowly, eyes glowing. Summerkit was a bit confused.  
“You... you just told me that, didn’t you?” she offered. Petalberry shook her head lightly.  
“No - no. Not that. How did you know that I’d be open for an apprentice soon?” she asked. Summerkit’s eyes widened in shock, ears flicking.  
“I didn’t! I... I just wanted to know if, when you are open for one... if...” she trailed off, cream-colored coat shivering as Petalberry’s eyes raked her.  
Finally, the reddish, brown cat sighed, closing her eyes. A strong grief seemed to waft over her, and she lifted her paws closer to her away from the piles of herbs. Summerkit’s eyes clouded in curiosity as the medicine cat’s eyes flickered open and shut.  
“I know...” Petalberry said at last, voice a soft crack, “as well as any good medicine cat should know... that... that Skywing is...”  
Summerkit glanced over to the elder’s den, where the once elegant young cat Skywing sat grooming Brindlemeadow. Summerkit suddenly understood the cause of Petalberry’s grief. With Skywing sitting beside her, the elder Brindlemeadow looked ten times younger. The old, frail white and gray she-cat was obviously hardly strong enough to tug at the younger cat’s ticks, it seemed, and Brindlemeadow obviously looked uncomfortable to be having Skywing attending her when it surely should have been the opposite way around.  
“Skywing is dying, isn’t she?” Summerkit asked. Petalberry choked and looked away from the old she-cat, eyes clouded in grief.  
“I expect she only has...” Petalberry started, claws raking the grassy floor, “a m-moon or so... or... I...”   
“Summerkit!” a familiar voice tore the young, creamy kit away from the medicine cat. Summerkit’s silvery green eyes rested on her mother, who was bounding towards the two cats, eyes wide.  
“Summerkit, what did I say about getting separated from Sunkit?” Crescentfall scolded, golden pelt shimmering in the Greenleaf sunlight. Petalberry shook her coat of reddish, brown fur firmly and blinked kind, clouded eyes at Crescentfall.  
“Its fine.” the medicine cat said quietly, “I enjoy Summerkit’s company, and I am very capable of caring for the little bundle.”  
Summerkit twitched her whiskers at being called ‘little’, but didn’t speak. She was too busy contemplating Petalberry’s latest words.   
Was Skywing really going to die? And, if so, was she truly willing to give up a life as a warrior just to become a medicine cat?  
“Well, nevertheless, I think you should come back to the nursery.” Crescentfall looked down at her daughter with kind, sky-blue eyes, “I believe that Petalberry has some thinking to do about a certain proposal you’ve offered her.”   
“How did you know about that?” Summerkit gasped, little paws scraping the floor as she stood up to stand beside her mother.  
“Sunkit told me. I should have known my lovely daughter would want to be a medicine cat. You’ve never much been interested in becoming a warrior like your other friends.” Crescentfall murmured, eyes full of adoration for her young kit. Summerkit grinned, eyes glittering with joy. For a moment, Petalberry almost forgot about Skywing and her aging. But there was no hiding the grayish she-cat in the corner of her vision, who ever-so-feebly tried to serve her clan to the last of her days.  
“I’ll see you later, Summerkit.” Petalberry said quietly, paws itching to go speak with Fallingmoon and Skywing about this new suggestion. The little kit mewed a farewell before padding after her mother, who silently led her back to the nursery.


	3. Apprenticeships at Dawn

Dawnmoon padded next to Jackalstep, eyes flickering in the burning sun. Her ginger, tabby coat reflected a good amount of the heat, but she still felt the burning sensation deep within her pelt as she led her patrol past the border separating them from EagleClan.  
“Wait!” a tough voice called from behind her. Dawnmoon turned her head to see one of her senior warriors, Smokethorn, pausing with his new apprentice, Whitepaw, whom he had just yesterday been assigned to. Blackstorm, who was also a part of the patrol, did the same with his dark brown apprentice .  
“Can you two smell that?” Smokethorn asked the two brothers. The lighter brown tabby tom with a whitish ear, Whitepaw, flicked his ears eagerly.  
“Yeah! It smells like crow food!” he commented. Dawnmoon flicked her ears, mildly unamused. The RobinClan leader had plenty of respect for the EagleClan leader, Redmoon. He was a strong tom and was worth the recognition of her clan mates as a powerful opponent.  
“That’s not crow food you smell. That’s their prey.” Dawnmoon corrected Whitepaw, green eyes flickering over the two young apprentices, “EagleClan is the only clan out of all of us that is able to hunt the birds of the skies. A proper trained apprentice of your age can easily take down a robin in flight, just by a single pounce.” she recited the information she had depicted over the years. Just after watching the EagleClan cats, she had understood how powerful and mighty they were. Much unlike her own clan, who held their own powers deep within.  
“Oh...” Whitepaw’s ears twitched in amazement, eyes raking over the border that separated them from the incredible cats, “Will I be able to do something like that?”  
Smokethorn lifted his head over to Dawnmoon, raising his eyebrows. It was as if he were saying ‘you got me into this mess, so you’ve got to get me out of it’.   
Dawnmoon awkwardly faced the apprentice, greenish-blue eyes grazing over him.  
“Whitepaw,” she said slowly, “I do not want you to ever doubt your own clan, or any other one. Each clan has their own powers. EagleClan is strong, powerful, and loyal. RavenClan is swift, fierce, and dangerous. HawkClan is determined, smart, and sneaky...”  
“And us?” Nettlepaw pushed, dark green eyes grazing over her orange pelt. Dawnmoon flicked her tail.  
“That’s simple. We are the glue to all the clans. We are kind, ingenious, and misinterpreted. This makes us work harder, and, in turn, MoonClan rewards us with the ability to hunt whatever we please.” Dawnmoon said simply. Nettlepaw’s eyes stretched, impressed with his leader’s determined state. Dawnmoon flicked her ear as she looked back over to Blackstorm, who she summoned over to him.  
“This conversation is over, Whitepaw.” Smokethorn said before Whitepaw could ask anything more, “Come. Dawnmoon wants to speak with Blackstorm. Nettlepaw, Jackalstep, let’s go up ahead to scent the Thunderpath.”  
The gray, senior warrior led the three cats forwards, and Dawnmoon let her pace slow. Blackstorm stepped beside her, falling into stride with her as they listened to the fading paw steps of their clan mates. When there was no longer a scent of them, Blackstorm turned to her. His shaded pelt shone in the sunlight as they crossed through the fields.  
“What is it, Dawnmoon?” he asked, eyes almost worried.  
“It’s about Russetkit.” Dawnmoon replied, green eyes glittering as she kept up her walk, “How are you handling him?”  
“Russetkit?” Blackstorm was a bit surprised by the question, but it was obvious he was hiding it, “H-He’s fine! He’s one of the family, now. I think he sees me as the father he never had...” Blackstorm said proudly.  
“That’s good.” Dawnmoon meowed, “And Mapleleg? How is she handling the addition?”   
“She’s doing fine.” Blackstorm shrugged, “Foxfoot and me bring her extra fresh kill every day, so she’s got plenty of milk for Russetkit, Emberkit, and Snowkit.”  
“Foxfoot does that?” Dawnmoon was surprised by her deputy’s sudden change in mood - although it was no secret that Foxfoot loved her kit dearly, she had been forced to give him to a queen, Mapleleg, to care for so she could withhold her deputy duties.  
“Yeah - I mean, Mapleleg is kind of doing her a huge favour, right?” Blackstorm pointed out, his eyes glazed over as he remembered his mate, “I’m so proud of her...”  
“Your kits will be fine additions to RobinClan. It will be my honour to give them their warrior names when the time comes.” Dawnmoon said to the black tom, who purred deeply in response. She flicked her ears affectionately, “And I’m sure that Russetkit will never forget what you did for him. He will always see you as a role model and a father figure.”  
Blackstorm flicked his whiskers appreciatively, before pausing for a moment. Dawnmoon looked back at him curiously. His eyes were trained on her worriedly, and his paws had stopped padding beside her.  
“Something wrong?” she asked lightly. Blackstorm clicked his tongue and fell slowly started walking again until they were back in pace.  
“I - I’m sorry, but, if you don’t mind me asking, who is going to be Russetkit’s mentor?” Blackstorm asked. Dawnmoon sighed as he continued, “I mean, he’s kind of an important kit. His mother is the deputy, after all...”  
“I am aware of that, Blackstorm.” Dawnmoon started slowly, “And, to be quite honest, I was kind of hoping I’d get to mentor him myself.”  
Blackstorm blinked, fur bristling.  
“Really?” he asked quietly, “You haven’t mentored any cat since -”  
“I know about that incident, Blackstorm, but I fully entrust myself with the care of my deputy’s kit. Russetkit will become a fine warrior if I can do anything to help it.” Dawnmoon spoke firmly. Blackstorm’s questions were washed away in those single, two sentences as they approached a couple of voices up ahead.   
“-and just when the RavenClan deputy, Shadeblaze, looked like she was going to sink her teeth right into my neck, I broke free!” Jackalstep was saying as they entered the clearing next to the Thunderpath. Dawnmoon lifted her nose, sniffing the air. Ever since she as a kit, this Thunderpath had been rarely used. She had only ever seen two or three monsters pass by on it, and that was usually in Leafbare anyway. But it never hurt to check. Dawnmoon scented the heated rock that the Thunderpath was made of. There was a very distant, stale scent of a monster, and a more powerful scent of her clan mixed with the other three clans. They were close to the four Gathering Stones, which were giant rocks pointed in the middle of a clearing on the other side of the Thunderpath and through the forest. They were the perfect size for a cat to sit on comfortably, and each one harboured a small platform beneath it for the deputies to sit on. Once every moon, the four clans would chose specific cats and gather there for a peaceful night of sharing stories and tongues. It was, all in all, one of Dawnmoon’s favorite times of her life when she got to speak to the other clans. She was very happy to know that, just tonight, there would be a new gathering.  
“Are you busy telling these apprentices about the time when you ran off like a chicken from a HawkClan cat during the Battle of RavenClan?” Blackstorm teased Jackalstep, who brought her ears down to her head angrily.  
“Excuse you, but I’m afraid not all of us attended that certain battle, Blackstorm. Or should I say, Blackpaw? Because, at the time, you were an apprentice. Unlike me, who earned my warrior name early!” Jackalstep bragged eagerly.  
“And don’t make me revoke it, Jackalstep.” Dawnmoon said fondly as she crossed past the beige warrior. Jackalstep flicked her ears in surprised and laughed nervously, falling behind Dawnmoon as she began to lead her patrol back to the camp.  
Nettlepaw and Whitepaw were busy speaking in low tones in the back of the group, while Blackstorm and Jackalstep were now bickering angrily just behind her. Smokethorn fell intro stride beside her as she followed the path back through a shaping forest towards her camp.  
“They’re fighting like they were kits.” Smokethorn complained. Dawnmoon glanced at him, only to find warm affection in his eyes. Jackalstep had been his first apprentice as a young warrior, and she had indeed done a fabulous job in a certain border battle against EagleClan once, earning her a warrior name.   
“Aren’t they?” Dawnmoon commented. Smokethorn purred as they reached familiar ground. They heard the fighting stop behind them, and Blackstorm turn around to speak to Nettlepaw and Whitepaw.  
“We’ll begin battle training tomorrow here, in the Sand Hollow. And you see that big tree? Not only is that where Dawnmoon announces things, but it’s her den, and where you can practice your climbing. But only when me or Smokethorn is around, okay?” he explained. Nettlepaw said something else, but Dawnmoon was too busy padding towards the Grand Oak and into her den, which was a small hollow carved at the base of it.  
Voices rang through the clearing of cats, who all seemed eager to see the two new apprentices back in camp. Foxfoot, Dawnmoon’s deputy, padded over to her, amber eyes glittering fondly.  
“Dawnmoon, how did the patrol go?” she asked. Dawnmoon flicked her tail and motioned her to sit down beside the Grand Oak.  
“Well enough - we didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. But I did scent EagleClan abnormally close to our border. I think they’re being pushed towards us by RavenClan - I wouldn’t be surprised if those sneaky cats were planning to try and evoke a fight between us.” Dawnmoon began to explain, “We should be careful of them at the Gathering tonight. Speaking of which, is everyone ready to go?”  
“Everyone other than the cats on the hunting patrol, who are all attending tonight. They should be back soon, though. Than we can rest and share tongues until it is time for us to go.” Foxfoot reported. Dawnmoon nodded quietly.  
“Right, good. I’ll be in my den if you need me then, alright?” Dawnmoon asked Foxfoot, who nodded quietly. Her deputy’s strong, lithe muscles relaxed as she watched Dawnmoon pad into the Grand Oak, where her creamy coat disappeared into the darkness.


	4. Of Toads and Troubles

Hazelpaw’s claws scraped against the cobwebs as he cut them quickly, green eyes flashing as he stepped over to the huge tom. Flamescar, a senior warrior and one of the most respectable cats he had ever known, growled roughly as he slowed his actions, applying the cobweb gently.  
“Do you know how this happened?” Hazelpaw asked, heart racing. This was one of his first patients that he had to treat himself.  
“Why do you ask?” Flamescar responded coldly. Hazelpaw sighed, frustrated already by the ember-pelted warrior’s cold attitude.  
“We need to make sure it doesn’t happen again. If it does, and you don’t notice it, you could easily get infected around here. The marshes on our territory carry all kinds of illnesses on them, just waiting to find an open wound to contaminate.” Hazelpaw hissed, reaching over and licking a small leaf off of Flamescar’s shoulder.   
“Well...” the old cat seemed to be seeing reason behind the medicine cat apprentice’s words, “I suppose it might’ve happened while I was hunting. A toad jumped out at me and I wrenched my shoulder trying to catch it.”  
“That’ll do it.” Hazelpaw nodded, “Try not to overwork yourself too much. Your wounds are still healing, and you need to give your body time.”   
“Whatever you say, Hazelpaw. I trust you know what you’re doing, after moons of training with Firelight.” Flamescar said fondly, “My sister is the best medicine cat this camp has seen, you know.”  
“Then I’m sure you’ll be fine, if Firelight has taught me anything.” Hazelpaw said kindly, eyes glittering with adoration for his mentor, “I know, at least, that she’d be happy with the job I did patching you up. I suggest you go and get some fresh kill and relax the rest of the day by the leader’s den with Halfmoon. She’s hurt her leg and won’t be moving until the Gathering tonight.”  
“Will I still be able to attend?” Flamescar jumped, “I was told I’d be going tonight!”  
“You’ll be fine, as long as you don’t push yourself. Try not to go jumping off of any trees while we’re there, at least, okay?” Hazelpaw suggested. Flamescar purred, which was rare for the senior warrior, before standing up and padding out of the medicine cat’s den, which was a thick bramble cover, much like the rest of the camp.  
“Thank you, Hazelpaw!” Flamescar called from behind him. Hazelpaw flicked his tail, quietly following Flamescar out of the den.  
The day was a scorcher, that’s for sure. He could scent the musky feeling around him, given that his clan, HawkClan, resided mostly in swamps. Hazelpaw’s brownish, white-tinted tail flicked eagerly as he padded over to the elder’s den where his mentor sat outside caring for Blackeye. The old, silent she-cat was quiet as usual, her eyes closed as Firelight groomed her back with her paws and a bit of mouse bile. Hazelpaw was surprised for a moment - wasn’t this an apprentice’s job? But then he remembered that Firelight had always been a softy for him, and occasionally would offer to do some of his chores for him when he wasn’t busy. But Hazelpaw would always be the bigger cat and refuse, claiming that he wouldn’t ever finish his training if Firelight was doing the training for him. But he knew this was a lie. Hazelpaw was long into his training, and he had already memorized every herb he could think of. He could find goldenrod in a field of lookalikes if he had to! Hazelpaw came to sit next to his mentor, leaning towards her lightly and placing his paw right over hers. Firelight flicked her ear and looked at him, mildly surprised, before slowly letting her paw drop.  
“Are you done helping Flamescar already?” she asked, eyes searching his. He chuckled and nodded his head lightly as his mentor stared at him.  
“He can be fussy, but he’s a good cat through and through. I just told him not to strain himself so much next time, and got him to go sit next to Halfmoon near the leader’s den.” Hazelpaw explained. Firelight listened closely, nodding here and there until he was done. She flicked her whiskers briskly, joy filling her face.  
“I wouldn’t have done it any differently - good job, Hazelpaw!” Firelight exclaimed. Hazelpaw felt Blackeye squirm beneath him before he could respond, silently telling him to get a move on with it. Hazelpaw sent a knowing look to Firelight, who winked, grinning, before padding off towards the Rain Falls, which was a small circle of rocks that held rain water in it and flowed down to the larger river near the mountains. Hazelpaw figured she was going to wash off her paws from the mouse bile. The apprentice looked down at his task to find that there seemed to be only one tick left. He placed the mouse bile down and carefully leaned forwards, biting the tick in half with a ‘crack’ and flicking his ears.  
“There - done. Firelight did most of it, but there was one left. Do you feel better now, Blackeye?” Hazelpaw asked. The elder flicked her tail in ‘thanks’ before standing up and walking back into the den.  
Hazelpaw watched her go, her silhouette fading into the brambles, before standing up and following Firelight’s scent towards the Rain Falls. He passed Patchdrop and Scarletheart, who were both sitting outside of the nursery, their two kits running around them quickly. Hazelpaw caught sight of Vixenkit, Scarletheart’s young son, and Nightkit, Patchdrop’s daughter. The two of them were play fighting eagerly - big paws clasping over one another as they wrestled. Hazelpaw briefly remembered when his brother and sister, Leopardpaw and Ospreypaw, had been kits with him in the nursery. The three of them had been the best of friends then - but now it felt like they were in different clans, the way they treated one another. Every one of them was absorbed in training - determined to be the best of the best. That, after all, was just how they were raised. Cloverstream, their mother, and Broomfall, their father, were very smart and powerful cats. When Driftwind, HawkClan’s deputy, had been out of camp, Broomfall had been appointed deputy in her place to guard the camp with Halfmoon by his side. Ever since then, cats had a new respect for his father, and Leopardpaw, Ospreypaw, and Hazelpaw felt that they had to redeem that respect in their own generation.  
Hazelpaw, though, was ahead of the game. With his status as a very successful medicine cat apprentice, he was quickly climbing the ladder of ‘cats not to mess with’. But he was on that list for an entire different reason than the other warriors. Other cats didn’t mess with him, because if they did, they might end up with a mystery herb in their fresh kill pile because of it. Hazelpaw padded over to the Rain Falls, dipping a single paw in. An icy chill washed over him as the water flooded his paws, but he held tight, bringing the leg back and dipping his other claws in. He wait for a little while, making sure that his paws were nicely washed, before turning back and heading towards camp.  
Hazelpaw’s brother, Leopardpaw, was already sitting a little while away from the fresh kill pile, beside the other apprentice Aspenpaw. Aspenpaw was pretty, gray tabby she-cat with kind, light blue eyes and white markings over her body. Hazelpaw padded towards the duo, having already eaten before when Leopardpaw brought him and Firelight some fresh kill, and sat beside them.  
“Oh, hey Hazelpaw!” Aspenpaw mewed, licking her lips, “I was just telling Leopardpaw about this huge toad I saw today! It was gigantic, you should have been there!” she explained, her bright eyes shining. Aspenpaw’s voice was soft, and Hazelpaw listened closely despite how much he really didn’t care about the frog that she had found, “And when it croaked, I’m sure that the entire territory shook!”  
Leopardpaw scoffed affectionately, batting the side of Aspenpaw’s face laughably.  
“Sure it did. So then, why didn’t I feel it?” he questioned. Aspenpaw laughed and shook his paw off of her, flicking her ears.  
“I don’t know, maybe you were zoning out like you always do!” Aspenpaw offered, “Just today in battle training you nearly let Oakspot get a killing shot! That’s not like you! You’re always on top of your game when it comes to fighting.”   
“I was distracted, okay?” Leopardpaw frowned, “Besides, you missed a mouse just the other day near the RavenClan border! You never let prey cross to those filthy, flee-bitten creature’s territory.”  
Hazelpaw flicked his whiskers at his brother’s comment about RavenClan, but said no more. He knew that his clan naturally disliked RavenClan - he knew that most of the clans disliked RavenClan - but he was a medicine cat. He was supposed to live apart from the clan’s rivalries and put the lives of others first. He couldn’t live thinking that RavenClan was just made up of dirty rogues. But, when around his friends, he had to keep quiet, knowing that if he spoke his true opinion that he’d get a bunch of strange looks or worse.  
“So...” he tried changing the subject, eyes searching the ground at his paws, “Uh... you... you excited about the Gathering tonight?”  
“Huh?” Leopardpaw cocked his head over to Hazelpaw, gaze glittering, “Oh - yeah! I almost forgot! Tonight’s our first Gathering! Where’s Ospreypaw, we need to get her in on this!”  
“Last time I checked, Ospreypaw was sitting over there with Pantherpelt, Flamescar, and Oakspot. Should I call her over?” Aspenpaw offered, blue eyes shining. Leopardpaw nodded his approval, and Aspenpaw immediately mewed for her fellow apprentice.  
Ospreypaw’s head shot up and looked in their direction. Pantherpelt, Ospreypaw’s mentor, flicked his tail. He seemed to have been in the middle of saying something. Ospreypaw looked over to him, blue eyes searching his approval. Eventually, Pantherpelt gave a curt nod, and Ospreypaw shot over to her brothers and friend.  
“What is it?” Ospreypaw asked, slowing down to sit beside Hazelpaw. Leopardpaw jumped up, eyes glittering.  
“Tonight’s our first Gathering!” he announced, as if Ospreypaw hadn’t already known. The dark, brownish-white she-cat twitched her ears in annoyance.  
“Is that it? I already knew about that, Leopardpaw. Pantherpelt was busy telling us about EagleClan’s weaknesses, of all things!” Ospreypaw sighed, fur bristling. Hazelpaw felt guilt sway over him, but he pushed it down right away. He wasn’t the one to suggest Ospreypaw come over in the first place - why should he feel bad?  
“Sorry about that...” Aspenpaw said quietly, light eyes a bit dimmer. Ospreypaw gave her a look of contempt, but lost it as she looked at her friend.  
“It’s fine, don’t worry about it. Here - why don’t I tell you about the time Pantherpelt had Fallingmoon in his jaws?”  
Hazelpaw had heard enough. He shoved himself off of the ground quietly, walking away from the three apprentices and over to Firelight, Halfmoon, and Driftwind. The three she-cats were talking in low tones, but when Firelight saw him, she flicked her tail for him to join their conversation.  
“-and then RobinClan won’t - oh hey, Hazelpaw.” Driftwind was cut short by his sudden appearance. He bristled angrily - he would have really liked to hear that last bit of the deputy’s sentence. What about RobinClan? What won’t they do? Hazelpaw took a seat next to his mentor and nodded to Driftwind quietly.  
“I hear your training is doing well, young Hazelpaw.” Halfmoon said appreciatively. He sighed. Hazelpaw hated when Halfmoon and Driftwind treated him like a kit - it wasn’t like he was stuck up in the nursery anymore, was he? He was sure he’d even be getting his medicine cat name early because of his skills! Hazelpaw just flicked his tail in response and looked over to Firelight.  
“Yes...” she started, “Hazelpaw has succeeded even my own progress when I was an apprentice. she blinked warmly at him. Hazelpaw nodded quietly and looked back over to Driftwind.  
“Well,” the deputy said, eyes staring deeply into Hazelpaw’s, “I suppose we should get going for the Gathering soon, then?”


End file.
